SALUTE TO MY COWORKERS

Saludo ako sa mga katrabaho ko sa dubbing industry... to those who are still working after all these years... who still have the passion na parang it's still their first project... na mahilig pa rin sa anime kahit tumanda na sila... sa mga cina-career pa rin ang trabaho nila... and especially to the true-blue anime fans, who, amazingly still do their job simply because doing it makes them happy.

Your passion and love for this genre is truly amazing.

It's because of anime lovers like you that Tagalized anime became more "fan-friendly". Sino nga ba naman ang mas nakaka-alam kung pano dapat ang tunog ng anime kundi ang mga mahilig manood nito?

Mabuhay kayo.

STREETS OF FIRE: MY ALL TIME FAVORITE MOVIE

Mid 80's. Bagong lipat sa bagong bahay ang uncle ko. Family business was doing well, ninanamnam naming lahat. So when he got married and moved into a new house [that had a pool in it], syempre bago ang lahat ng appliances. At the time, high end na ang TV na may remote control [na hindi pa cable-ready dahil wala pang cable]. Anyway, it was with my uncle that I was introduced to what was back then considered what is now commonly known as a Home Theater System. Back then, it just meant your Betamax machine had hifi audio and the audio was hooked up to a component stereo system that made the sound "more realistic".

So ano nga ba naman ang gagawin sa setup na ganun? E di umarkila sa Virra Mall ng kahon-kahon na betamax tapes [yes, kahon-kahon, at hindi pa uso ang VHS, Laserdisc at DVD. Betamax ang prevalent format sa Pilipinas nung 80's dahil this format was junked everywhere else at dito sa atin ito tinapon ng mga Hapon. Still, Betamax was superior to VHS]

SIDE NOTE: this proves na for as long as we can remember, Filipinos have been patrons of video piracy. Panahon pa ng betamax, uso na ang rentahan ng mga kinopya lang from original tapes. Sanay na tayo sa pirated, at kapag bumibili tayo ng original, we think we are being excessive in spending, kahit na makakabili ka na ngayon ng original DVD for as low as P150.

So balik sa kwento ko...

One of the betamax tapes given to my uncle to showcase what the sound system can do is a "laser copy" version of the movie STREETS OF FIRE. And rightfully so. The movie had everything that a great sound system can bring out. It had music [may mga concert scenes at madaming kanta], lots of loud explosions and gunfire, saka may sound effects kapag next scene na... may transition sya and it makes a sound like a train stopping. Pati pag-squeak ng balisong, rinig na rinig mo.

The moment I got to watch it, I fell in love with this movie. Lagi ko syang pinapanood when I am at my uncle's house and eventually he gave me the tape. Over the years nung may ibang format na, I also bought original copies. So I have it in Laserdisc, DVD and I even downloaded the AVI so I have a copy in my laptop. I also managed to buy the soundtrack when I was in Hongkong a long time ago.

PICTURED ABOVE: TOM CODY [Michael Pare] & Ellen Aim [Diane Lane]

The story of SOF is pretty simple. No deep plot. It's a straightforward mix of action, romance and music. Tom and Ellen were sweethearts living in a town. Ellen dreamt of being a singer and was actually making it come true. Tom felt like he couldn't keep up with her so he left and joined the army. Ellen left the town and became a famous lead in a band. Her manager Billy Fish [Rick Moranis] arranged for a benefit concert in her hometown. Sa opening number pa lang nung concert, Ellen was kidnapped by a biker gang led by Raven [Willem Dafoe]. Tom's sister Reva sends him a wire, asking him to come home. He rescues Ellen and leaves the streets in flames [hence the title] and Raven goes back to the town to challenge him to a duel.

PICTURED ABOVE: The famous kissing-in-the-rain scene.

After he rescues her from the biker gang, Ellen finds out that Tom rescued her under one condition: that her manager pays him $10,000 to do the job. Pinag-awayan nila ito and when she was safely back in town, she dumped him. But after Raven issued the challenge, Tom realized that it wasn't about the money so he gave the money back to Fish. As he walked out of their hotel in the pouring rain, Ellen chased after him. The two made up and kissed in the rain.

Sappy as I am, I found this scene to be so cinematically romantic. So much so that gusto ko ring magka-girlfriend at maghalikan din kami sa ulan. At nung nagka-girlfriend ako nung high school, nagawa nga namin ito. =)

PICTURED ABOVE: Raven [Willem Dafoe]

Nung napanood ko na ang Spiderman and he was in it as Green Goblin, naalala ko pa rin sya as Raven. Ganun pa rin kasi ang mga facial expression nya kapag naghuhuramentado na sya.

Madaming ibang artista sa SOF ang bagito pa lang nung panahon na yun pero mga sikat na ngayon. Kasali si Bill Paxton, and Amy Madigan.

And if you know this old catchy song called "I Can Dream About You" [hindi yung "Dream About You" ni Stevie B ha], dito rin sa movie na ito lumabas yun.

Balita ko nilabas na rin ito in HD DVD pero mukhang wala namang bonus feature so I'm not going to bother buying it.

Having my sickness, lagi kong naiisip na maikli na lang ang buhay ko. I seem to be often looking back at how or what I've done in my life. Among my all time favorite things is this movie. There are some things that you just never get sick of and as far as movies go, for me, this is one of them. Kahit na halos memorized ko na ang lahat ng dialog, pinapanood ko pa rin sya. Compared to today's movies, parang ang babaw lang nitong SOF. Pero favorite ko pa rin sya.

REMEMBER CHIP STAR?

I'll make this quick since nagmamarathon ako ng Heroes Season 2-3 today.

I don't know if you guys remember Chip Star, it's a snack na parang Pringle's potato chips. You may not remember it like this 'coz it was also sold in cardboard boxes. Nung nasa elementary at high school ako, ito ang lagi kong binibili sa canteen namin at pati sa grocery [kapag meron]. Mas malasa sya kesa sa Pringle's. I like all the flavors [original, nouri seaweed & chicken consomme] pero yung nouri seaweed ang favorite ko. Bihira nang makakita ng Chip Star ngayon at kung meron man, ang mahal pa. Nakakatsamba ako minsan sa mga lugar where Chinese/Japanese snacks are sold like DEC Food Plaza.

Ngayon ko lang nadiscover na may alternative pala sa nouri flavor ng Chip Star. Lay's Stax came out with a nouri seaweed flavor and it takes almost exactly the same. It's like reuniting with an old friend...

Mas panalo nga pala ang Lay's Stax kesa sa Pringle's. May tray sya sa loob para di madurog yung chips, saka para madaling makuha kapag nangangalahati na ang laman. This comes in handy especially if your hands are big like mine and can't fit into the can. Iba na rin ang lasa ng Pringle's ngayon. ewan ko ba! Sa ibang bansa na yata kasi gawa e. It just doesn't taste the same anymore. Nawala na rin yung mga lumang favorite flavors ko ng Pringle's like the light [1/3 less salt, in silver can], and rippled [ridge cut, in yellow can].

Yun lang. Makabalik na nga sa Heroes.

MY NEW PIZZA EXPERIENCE: CAFE MONDIAL

Nadiskubre ko itong Cafe Mondial when I was surfing at the Clickthecity.com website for new restaurants in the Pasig Area. I decided to check it out last night since malapit lang ito sa bahay ko.

Cafe Mondial is at Silver City, Pasig. This is the building on Julia Vargas Ave, halos katabi lang ng SM Hypermart. Madali syang makita kasi may HSBC sa bungad saka ang laki nung signage ng ALCHEMY sa harap. May Starbucks din sa gilid at Gerry's, Cafe Mondial isn't that far from Gerry's, it's about 1-2 spaces away.

Cafe Mondial isnt like Sbarro's or some restaurant, it's sort of a nightspot na nagiging parang inuman pag gabi. Pag weekend, it's open 'til 3am.

Anyway, dati'y Italian food ang sine-serve nila pero ngayon ay sari-sari na. Pero nandun pa rin yung Italian selections that they are known for.

I ordered the Godfather's pizza [pictured at the top], parang "Supreme" flavor nila. The one I got is square. Sobrang lutong ng crust. Ang sarap! Hindi ito katulad ng thin crust ng Domino's o Shakey's na manipis lang pero walang lutong. The toppings are pretty good, too. The sauce is almost like a Bolognese sauce. It's a 12" pizaa that isn't too heavy on the belly, costing a little over P300.

Their menu can be downloaded at their multiply account. Check it out and other pictures at http://cafemondial.multiply.com/

PATI BA NAMAN CORNED BEEF...

Mapapaisip ka tuloy just how much Voltes V is a part of Filipino everyday life.

'la lang...